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Queen Elizabeth II

Pub hours to be extended for Queen’s birthday

The Queen is lucky enough to celebrate two birthdays each year; the first is her actual birthday on 21st April and the second is her official birthday. This year, celebrations for her official birthday will take place from 10-11 June. To mark the very special occasion of her 90th, Prime Minister David Cameron has just announced that opening hours for pubs in England and Wales will be extended for two additional hours. They can remain open until 01:00 a.m.

“We will be extending pub opening hours on the 10th and 11th of June to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday,” he revealed during Prime Minister’s Questions. Her Majesty’s birthday celebrations also coincide with the European Football championships, where both England and Wales will play on Saturday evening.

There will be a series of events taking place over the course of the two days. The Patron’s Lunch will be held on The Mall where representatives from the hundreds of organisations where the Queen serves as Patron will partake in a picnic lunch showcasing English and UK produce.

A service of thanksgiving will take place at St. Paul’s Cathedral, to be attended by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Trooping of the Colour ceremony, otherwise referred to as the Queen’s Birthday Parade, will be held at Horse Guards Parade. Many senior royals usually attend the parade, which culminates with the Royal Family standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace observing a fly-past of military aircrafts.  Two graces or informal prayers have also been published to be used during other informal celebrations such as street parties.

This won’t be the first occasion when pubs have extended their hours. Citizens celebrated long in to the night after the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee the following year, and in 2014, after the World Cup.